Hook and eye engager



Dec. 15, 1964 F. B. DIERKS HOOK AND EYE ENGAGER Filed Feb. 21, 1963 INVENTOR.

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United States Patent ()fiice 3,161,332 Patented Dec. 15, 1964 3,161,332 HOOK AND EYE ENGAGER Fred B. Dierks, 1701 Hamilton Lane, Grants Pass, Greg. Filed Feb. 21, 1963, Ser. No. 269,169 2 laims. (ill. 223-111) This invention relates to a novel engager for hooks and eyes located at difiicult-to-reach areas of garments, such a adjacent to the top of the back zipper of a ladys dress.

The primary object of the invention is the provision of a simple, practical, efiicient, and easily used device of the kind indicated, which is adapted to be temporarily and removably engaged over the upper edge of a garment at one side of a Zipper-closed or non-zipper closed opening, leading to said upper edge; and is reversible to accommodate left and right-hand eyes and hooks.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a device of the character indicated above, which is usable with rigid metal eyes, and with non-rigid fabric material eyes, and which serves to erect the eye for easy reception of the bill of the associated hook; and to positively guide the hook to engagement with the eye.

Other important objects and advantageous features of the invention will be apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawings, wherein, for purposes of illustration only, a specific form of the invention is set forth in detail.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary schematic perspective view, showing a device of the present invention applied to the eye-carrying side of a garment, substantially in line with and engaged through and erecting the eye, for recep tion of a hook on the garment, at the opposite side of a zipper-closed opening in the garment;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged outer side elevation of the said device;

FIGURE 3 is an edge elevation of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a longitudinal section, taken on the line 44 of FIGURE 2; and

FIGURES 5 and 6 are right-hand and left-hand end elevations, respectively, of FIGURE 3.

Referring in detail to the drawings, wherein like numerals designate like parts throughout the several views, the numeral It) generally designates an inaccessible area of a garment, such as the back of a ladys dress, having an upper edge 12, and a vertical opening 14, leading to the edge 12, and normally closed by a Zipper 16, above whose upper end, is secured, on the inner surface of the back It at one side of the opening 14, a hook 18, and an eye 20, secured on the outer surface of the back 10, substantially in line with the hook 18, at the other side of the opening. It will be understood that the hook 18, can be secured to the back 10, on its outer surface, at the opposite side of the opening 14, and the eye 26 secured to the inner surface of the back 10, in a reversed relationship to that shown in FIGURE 1. It will also be understood that although a rigid metal eye 20 is shown, in FIGURE 1, disposed vertically, the device is equally applicable to a flexible fabric material eye.

In accordance with the present invention, a device of the present invention, generally designated 22, is supportively applied over the upper edge of the garment back, in line with and spaced laterally from the eye 20. The device 22 comprises a rigid channel body 24 having a flat bottom wall 26, the bottom wall 26 having a semicircular end, from which the wall 26 tapers to a squared free end 28. A laterally outwardly extending wall 30 extends continuously around the periphery of the semicircular end of the bottom wall 26 and along the side edges of the bottom wall, preferably as far as the free end 28. The wall 3%) is preferably curvedly merged into the edges of the bottom wall 26, as indicated at 32, in FIG- URE 5.

The semi-circular end of the bottom wall 26, is formed with a concentric circular boss 34, preferably by an indentation of the material of the bottom wall 26, which, as shown in FIGURE 4, is concentrically spaced from the bounding area of the wall 30. The boss 34 is formed with an axial opening 36, which passes the shank 38 of a rivet 4b, which has an enlarged inner head 42, which bears against the inward surface of the boss 34, and an enlarged outer head 44, spaced from the boss 34.

A fiat retaining disc 46, somewhat larger in diameter than the boss 34, has an axial opening 48, passing the rivet shank 38, the disc 46 being retained against the outward surface of the boss 34, by its outer head 44.

The disc 46 serves to retain the semi-circular end portion 50 of a latching element or U-shaped Wire spring 52, in the semi-circular groove 54, defined between the boss 34, and the part of the wall 30, extending around the semi-circular end of the channel body 24, as shown in FIGURE 4. The legs 56 of the spring 52 converge toward and reach beyond the free end 28 of the bottom wall 26 of the body 24. As shown in FIGURE 4, portions 58 of the legs 56, adjacent to the semi-circular portion 50 of the spring 52, are spread against the wall 30, while portions 66 of the legs, beyond the portions 58, are spaced from the wall 30, and merge into straight, substantially parallel terminals 62, which bear against the wall 30, at the free end of the channel body 24.

As shown in FIGURE 4, the bottom wall 26 of the channel body 24, has a laterally inwardly angled concaveconvex portion 64, extending to the free end 28, which permits the terminals 62, to be deflected, in a laterally inward direction, to enable their being inserted through a relatively shallow eye 20, in installing the device relative thereto. As also shown in FIGURE 4, the spring legs 56 are normally spaced laterally outwardly from the bottom wall 26.

Means for securing the device over the upper edge 12 of the garment back 10, comprises a rotatable hook 66. The hook 66 comprises a disc portion 68, smaller in diameter than and secured against the laterally outward surface of the retaining disc 46, by the outer rivet head 44, the disc portion 68 having an axial opening 70, passing the rivet shank 38. The hook 66 further comprises a substantially three-quarter circular loop 72, of flat spring stock, one arm 74 of which extends radially from the edge of the disc portion 68, with its other arm 76 disposed at and spaced from the laterally inward side of the bottom wall 26 of the channel body 24. The arm 76 merges into a straight fiat, longitudinally elongated leg 78, which, as shown in FIGURES 5 and 6, is normally parallel spaced from the bottom wall 26. The leg 78 merges, at its free end, in alaterally inwardly angled terminal 80, which reaches beyond either side of the channel body 24.

As shown in FIGURE 1, the loop 72 is adapted to be supportably engaged over the upper edge 12 of the garment back 10, with the hook 66 disposed at right angles to the channel body 24. The hook 66 is rotatably reversible, on the axis of the rivet, as indicated by full and phantom lines in FIGURE 2, to enable the device to be mounted, at either side of the garment back opening 14, as hereinabove explained.

In operation, the terminals 62 of the legs of the spring 52, are adapted to be engaged through an eye 20, by sliding the hook 66 along the upper edge 12 of the back, before the garment is donned, so that the terminals 62 spread and erect the eye 20. The hook 18 is then brought across the opening 14, with the garment in place on the wearer, and its bill 82 engaged between the spring legs, so as to be thereby aligned with the eye, and then moved ferred form of the invention, it is to be understood that.

the invention is not necessarily confined thereto, and that any change or changes intthe structure of and in the rela-;, tive arrangements of components thereof are contemplated;

as being withinv the scope of the invention as defined by the claims appended hereto. 6

What is claimed is:

1. In combination, a garment panel having afree-edge, there being in said panei an opening which is normal to and leadingto said, edge, a hook secured on the panel at one side of the opening; an eye secured tothe panel at the opposite side of the opening, an engager comprising a body disposed against the side of said .panel carrying said eye and inwardly of said eye, first means on said body engaging the edge of said panel and supporting the body from the edge of said panel and against the side thereof, and engaging means carried by said body and having an 7 i end portion releasably engaging a portion of said eye, the hook having a bill adapted to be moved through the eye, with said eye being engaged by the end portions of said engaging means to enlarge same for easy engagement 1 spring for tensioning the legs of said spring against said o fsaid hook with said eye. a

2. The combination according to claim 1, wherein said engaging means embodies a U-shaped spring having a bight and a pair of legs projecting from said bight, said spring being disposed so that its legs extend longitudinally along said body and having free end portions releasably engaged by adjacent portions of said eye, and means operatively connected to, said body and to the bight of said vbody. v a I v I Referenees Cited by the Examiner I V UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,656,579 10/53 Wilson 2*234 X 2,677,862 5/54 Flora 24 73 JORDAN FRANKLIN, Primary Examiner. 

1. IN COMBINATION, A GARMENT PANEL HAVING A FREE EDGE, THERE BEING IN SAID PANEL AN OPENING WHICH IS NORMAL TO AND LEADING TO SAID EDGE, A HOOK SECURED ON THE PANEL AT ONE SIDE OF THE OPENING, AN EYE SECURED TO THE PANEL AT THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF THE OPENING, AN ENGAGER COMPRISING A BODY DISPOSED AGAINST THE SIDE OF SAID PANEL CARRYING SAID EYE AND INWARDLY OF SAID EYE, FIRST MEANS ON SAID BODY ENGAGING THE EDGE OF SAID PANEL AND SUPPORTING THE BODY FROM THE EDGE OF SAID PANEL AND AGAINST THE SIDE THEREOF, AND ENGAGING MEANS CARRIED BY SAID BODY AND HAVING AN END PORTION RELEASABLY ENGAGING A PORTION OF SAID EYE, THE HOOK HAVING A BILL ADAPTED TO BE MOVED THROUGH THE EYE, WITH SAID EYE BEING ENGAGED BY THE END PORIONS OF SAID ENGAGING MEANS TO ENLARGE SAME FOR EASY ENGAGEMENT OF SAID HOOK WITH SAID EYE. 